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Hi I'm Alison.

I grew up in the United States, in the beautiful "wild west." I'm a musician. I'm a proud aunt of eight. I'm a Mormon.

About Me

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I obtained a Bachelor's degree in Communication (minored in Music) from a wonderful university, and during my college experience, I discovered much about myself that I hadn't realized before. Particularly I discovered that I truly do love dancing, especially clogging, salsa, and swing. I've grown very fond of the outdoors; hiking, biking, fishing, rafting, sand volleyball, and skydiving are some of my favorites. I've always loved singing, and during the past couple of years, I've been blessed with opportunities to perform and record with numerous fellow LDS musicians. I love the Gospel, my friends, and my family very much. I especially adore being an aunt. Animals are great too.

Why I am a Mormon

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Recently I've been thinking very carefully about why I choose to be an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I choose to associate myself with this Church and love this Church because it is an organization that wants to do only good things in this world. I've witnessed thousands of devout members of the Church bless the lives of others in ways both big and small, as they've shared their talents, encouraged those who were disheartened, healed those who were sick, and cheered those who were sad. So much wonderful service. I've seen how happy people can become as a result of receiving and giving service. I've tried service, and I can testify that it's so true: service brings joy. So yes, a core reason why I'm a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is because being a member allows for many precious service opportunities. And I think, "What better way to practice a Christlike life than to serve God's children as Christ does?"

How I live my faith

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A large portion of how I live my faith deals with my current service as a member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Every day I thank God, with all my heart, for allowing me to be part of that organization, and to be part of the cheering of souls all over the world on a frequent basis.
I attend a great singles ward, with people who are all actually my neighbors in a fun apartment complex. I'm thankful for this era of my life when I can constantly be surrounded by valiant people who are my age. They strengthen me. We strengthen each other. Together we help each other love the scriptures more, love the temple more, love service more, and love the Savior more. After this "Young Single Adult" chapter of my life concludes, I hope to forever cling onto the desire to stay valiant, and to stay true to the faith.

What is being a Mormon like?

Alison.

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Some of society might view The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the "Mormon church") as an organization that requires high commitment from its members. That view is right; to be a devoutly active member of the Church does require much commitment, but I am very happy to declare that the more you commit to God as a member of the Church, the happier a person you are.
As a member of the Church -- as a Mormon -- I try my best to keep my covenants with God and do all the little basics as well: daily scripture study, prayer, tithing, temple and Sunday service participance, acts of kindness, etc. From personal experience, I can soundly testify that the more diligently I work at doing all these good things, the happier I am in life, simply put.
One might think that being asked to do so much is harsh and tiresome, but it's actually quite the opposite. Once you taste the joy that comes to you when you do all these good things, you'll want to continue being faithful in doing them, because you will have sensed God smiling down on you.Show moreShow less

Are all Mormons required to serve a mission?

Alison.

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Every worthy young man in the Church, beginning at age 18, is strongly encouraged to pursue serving a full-time mission. Every worthy young woman in the Church, beginning at age 19, is also very welcome to serve a full-time mission. And every seasoned married couple who together faithfully keeps their covenants with each other and the Lord, and whose life circumstances allow for the opportunity to serve a full-time mission, are welcome to serve.
So, in a nutshell, not all Church members are required to serve a full-time mission; however, "every member a missionary!" (President David O. McKay) Every Church member is expected to fellowship and do kindness and spread the good news of the true gospel of Jesus Christ as much as possible. Every Church member is excpected to do their part in building the kingdom of God here on the earth.Show moreShow less

Do Mormons worship Joseph Smith?

Alison.

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No, we do not worship Joseph Smith. But we do love him, and we thank him for the person he has been, and for the tremendous good he has done. And what good has he done? We find so much rightness in expressing our gratitude for his willingness to be the vessel by which God's true and divine gospel was brought back to the earth after being gone for so long.Show moreShow less

What is the difference between attending church and the temple?

Alison.

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There's a handful of big differences between attending church and attending the temple, but for now I'll just focus on one difference:
When we attend church, we focus largely upon edifying and uplifting the living, and helping them feel closer to their loving God. When we attend the temple, we focus largely upon enabling those who have passed on to come closer to that same loving God, by performing sacred ordinances in their behalf. Temple work is a particularly special duty; therefore, anyone who desires to enter the temple to do the work must be sure to be worthy to do so.Show moreShow less

What are some things that tell you there is a God?

Alison.

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I once had a pet parakeet that seemingly spoke the English language just about as well as an American small child. He said things like "I love you!" "Where's Richard?" and "Pretty bird!" He could mimic kissy noises, and he could even sing the Andy Griffith Show's theme song in its entirety. He was a magnificent creature, and the more I think about him, the more I realize how miraculous his characteristics were. I'm pretty sure the only logical explanation behind the miraculousness was that my parakeet was divinely designed by a Supreme Creator, and that is God. This God is our loving Heavenly Father who gave us countless other evidences (which are all around us) of His existence.Show moreShow less

Mormons believe Jesus Christ is their Savior. Why do we need a Savior?

Alison.

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To answer this FAQ, I asked myself a hypothetical question: "Why do I need a Savior..." (and tagged on an additional phrase) "...when I can probably make it to heaven on my own?"
Then I worked my brain fairly stenuously to come up with a great hypothetical game plan of how I could get to heaven by myself with no Savior's help, and no one else's help, for that matter. I thought for many, many minutes, when finally I concluded that any such game plan would always be an utter impossibility.
The only "maybe" option my mind could muster up was for me to go knock on heaven's golden door and say, "I've been a good girl. Can I come in forever?" But my further ruminations led me to figure that that "maybe" option contains holes that can be filled only by a Savior, who is the key person to offer so-to-speak "clearance" to heaven.
And how is the clearance granted? By living true to the laws and ordinances of the gospel. By honoring our covenants. By faithful and diligent repentance. By keeping bright our hope in Christ, who atoned for us, made possible our future resurrection, and showed us how to live.
Thus, the only way to eternal life is ultimately our Savior, Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God. The fabulous thing about all this, is that He'd love nothing more than to have all His loved ones (and that's everyone!) come unto Him so that they can receive eternal life, which is the best of all gifts God can give.Show moreShow less

Why did your church previously practice plural marriage (polygamy)?

Alison.

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I come from a Mormon pioneer background, in which a few of my ancestors did practice polygamy. Lately I've been reading the journal of one such ancestor of mine. When I got to the part where he described how he felt when he learned that God was commanding the Saints to start practicing plural marriage, my heart became deeply touched when I discovered that he humbly and faithfully resolved to accept God's will, even when he found that God's will wasn't exactly the smallest pill to swallow.
I'm actually at a loss for words as I'm trying to describe how impressed I am with this grandfather of mine, his family, and my other pioneer ancestors who were asked to accept God's will and courageously did so.
Not everything that God asks us to do is easy, but I believe that everything He asks us to do is for our own personal good and ultimately for the good of His Kingdom on earth. Little did my ancestors know when they were walking where I'm walking now, they were setting up an example for me to always be strong, brave, and God-trusting.Show moreShow less

What is a “testimony” that Mormons speak of?

Alison.

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Gaining and growing a testimony... It's kind of like learning the very basics of a human's anatomy---such as the existence of bones, blood, muscles, organs, and cells---and then acquiring further in-depth knowledge of how those things function in the body. Gaining and growing a testimony entails our letting the Holy Ghost teach us the spiritual fundamentals (as shown in the Church's official answer to this FAQ), and then our pursuit to learn even more wonderful things from the Holy Ghost. Would you like to be a "lifelong learner"? This is a superb way to be a lifelong learner! The Holy Ghost is a great teacher!Show moreShow less

Deep down she knew God was there, but a lifestyle of drugs and alcohol prevented Elaine from feeling His presence. Turns out, when she chose to repent, she discovered that the desire to become better takes practice too.

God makes it easy for us to follow Him by giving us commandments. Following the commandments can lead us to happiness. We certainly are not perfect, but God has given us a way to be forgiven of our sins through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.